I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 67
66 – Turning Point (3)
“…This is…definitely…”
Special equipment.
He repeatedly grasped and released it.
The texture was different from the start. Black Mamba confirmed the grip that fit perfectly in his hand.
The shape was that of a staff. The feeling of it fitting perfectly in his hand. And above all…
He felt it as soon as he grasped it.
The feeling of indigestion slightly easing.
“…Hmm…”
This was on par with the specialized equipment he used before.
Not only the simple usability but also the assistance in controlling his abilities was certain. But still…
Such specialized equipment was somewhat cumbersome. Even though it was a staff of an antique form, it did not match his taste at all.
Nevertheless, it was certainly well-made.
“Who made this?”
“It says it was made by a new workshop, Prominence Workshop. The name of the craftsman is…”
The subordinate who was flipping through the documents briefly reported.
“A craftsman named ‘Seo Ji-soo’.”
“Seo Ji-soo?”
“I heard that he has been gaining fame recently. They say he is the most famous around here.”
“Hmm…”
He certainly seemed to have the skills to match his reputation. With this level of skill, he would be treated well anywhere.
“Put him on the candidate list. It’s good. Not bad.”
Black Mamba continued to pick up and put down various specialized equipment.
Then…
He stopped in front of a small dagger-shaped piece of equipment.
“…Hmm…?”
The decoration itself wasn’t flashy. Rather, it was plain. But somehow, it felt strangely eerie.
Black Mamba picked it up. And immediately, he could sense the amplified power.
“What…?!”
The power wavered as if being sucked in. The level of amplification was incomparable to when he was with Seo Ji-soo.
It felt like it was more than 1.2 times, maybe around 1.5 times. Moreover, he naturally realized that it was possible to coat the blade with power and cut with it.
It felt like the utility of the power had greatly increased. When dealing with close enemies, spatial devouring could even cut into his own flesh, which was troublesome…
With this specialized equipment, he could consider a few better methods in combat.
“…….”
It couldn’t be compared to the previous specialized equipment. This was literally an outstanding piece of specialized equipment.
“Who made this?”
“Well…that is…”
The officer flipping through the documents hesitated for a moment.
“This is also from a new workshop. They call it ‘Pyojo (漂鳥) Workshop,’ and there’s hardly any information about it.”
“Pyojo…? It sounds like Chinese characters, what does it mean?”
“I looked it up separately, and it was a homonym for migratory birds.”
“Migratory birds… birds that move with the seasons? What kind of name is that?”
Despite the strange name, the skill was undeniable. Black Mamba, who was stroking the dagger, confirmed it once again.
“Yes. Pyojo Workshop. So, who is the person who made this at the new workshop?”
“A person named Lee Seoyeon.”
“…Lee Seoyeon…”
As expected, it’s someone I’ve never heard of. But if they made such specialized equipment, they must have made a name for themselves somewhere.
A new identity? Or a pseudonym? It doesn’t matter either way.
It was enough that it was helpful. From the beginning, I never intended to trust the partner workshop. I only intended to use them.
Seojisu’s items are also excellent.
But Lee Seoyeon’s items were incomparable, far superior.
Such an artisan could not be found anywhere else.
“This can’t be helped. The difference is overwhelming.”
“Then the partner workshop will be Pyojo Workshop…”
“But among the workshops that pre-distributed blood, wasn’t that name absent?
“If that’s the case, I’ll notify the remaining workshops separately.”
“No. Put that on hold.”
“What?”
“Contact only the Pyojo workshop personally. Let’s meet separately. The enforcement agency must not find out who my partner workshop is. Especially now that we’ve fallen out with the backhand, it’s a necessary measure to hide who the partner workshop is. For the time being, it should appear as if the review is being maintained for a long time without any public announcement.”
Black Mamba swept over the displayed exclusive equipment.
“Don’t discard this for a while either. I don’t like it, but there are a few shapes that I do like.”
“Understood.”
“So, have we seen everything that’s left? Nothing set aside?”
“What? Ah… um… well…”
The subordinate stammered, looking troubled.
Black Mamba frowned.
“Is there something hidden?”
“…An exclusive piece of equipment with an unknown origin has arrived.”
“What? Unknown origin?”
“It was a package with no sender indicated, and only a letter was enclosed. We checked the contents just in case, but it doesn’t seem to be an explosive, so we’ve kept it.”
“What is it? Bring it here.”
“Yes.”
The subordinate brought a box. Black Mamba read through the enclosed letter.
To be honest, there wasn’t much to read.
It was just one word.
[Gift.]
“Huh?”
A gift? What kind of nonsense is this? Black Mamba chuckled in disbelief.
Whoever it was, they played a bizarre prank. Black Mamba threw the letter behind him.
“There’s CCTV at the front gate, right? Didn’t anyone get caught on camera?”
“We questioned the person who delivered the item, but they said a stranger paid them to place it in front.”
“…Hmm…”
“Perhaps we should dispose of it…”
“Wait a moment.”
He fully opened the box. The contents were simple.
A strange cubic object. Its interior, surrounded by something like glass, was incredibly transparent. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand…
And that was all.
A glass box with a visible interior.
That was it.
“…What is this?”
A toy…?
“It didn’t seem to be an explosive. We handled it separately, but we couldn’t figure out how it worked or what it meant.”
“…Hmm.”
“Then one of our guys used his ability on it and had a seizure. He passed out with a nosebleed. Doesn’t that mean something?”
He knew that much as well.
“…The rejection reaction when using someone else’s dedicated equipment…is that what you mean?”
“Yes.”
“This suspicious thing is a dedicated equipment?”
Gift. Gift.
Black Mamba, who was recalling that, reached out his hand.
“Whether it’s a gift for me or a gift for someone else…I’ll know if I touch it myself.”
Tap.
His fingertip touched the glass box.
And at that moment…
Black Mamba’s expression crumbled.
. . .
“Don’t you think it’s a waste?”
Lily asked me. I asked back indifferently.
“What is?”
“You gave away something you made over three months for free.”
“Hmm…”
Well, it’s not wrong.
It’s like I worked for free for three months without getting paid.
But you know. Apart from that compensation, there are things I received.
“Because it was fun.”
“…….”
“It was a type of supernatural factor I had never touched before. A particularly twisted supernatural factor, even among distortions. It was the most challenging custom equipment I had ever made in my artisan life, second only to ‘that person.’ So, you see, I don’t really regret it. Sure, I didn’t get paid, but… it was fun enough.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Who else? Of course, it’s her. Bad Sector. That crazy woman.”
Ah. The one who took a year to make illegal weapons.
To be honest, it took longer because I was doing it as a side job, but the process itself was incredibly fun. And I gained a lot from it at the same time.
If there was anything that practically helped in the development of artificial supernatural factors, it was the experience of handling Bad Sector’s supernatural factor. It was such a high-dimensional supernatural factor. She, I mean. She was a monster that should not have been born in a human body. Creepy, isn’t it? Scary.
I shivered and stretched.
“Thanks to this project, the machines I am currently improving have advanced a lot. From the way they are used to various other things, it has been very helpful. It feels like I received gifts that money can’t buy, so I don’t really think it’s a loss.”
“But for the past three months, haven’t you been living off your savings?”
“That’s true, but…”
I hesitated for a moment and then shook my head.
“Being deeply involved with criminals is a bit much. I’m content with being kicked out of the enforcement agency here. Sure, I’d make a lot of money if I partnered with Hundred Eye’s workshop, but… the more I think about it, the more I feel the risks outweigh the benefits. I don’t want to get caught up with criminals and end up suffering for it anymore.”
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“I understand your opinion, Mr. Lee Seo-jun. But with your savings slowly running out, don’t you need another solution?”
“…Hmm…”
That’s not wrong either. I can’t maintain this state of almost no income forever.
Moreover.
I was getting a bit restless.
Not just for fun, but while making Black Mamba’s custom equipment, I had accumulated a lot of additional data. As I started adding them to my custom equipment one by one…
The performance had been upgraded to a level incomparable to before.
Honestly speaking.
Isn’t it human nature to want to see the effects if you’ve improved a tool?
I casually broached the subject.
“You know, these days, it seems like the security in this area has gotten lax. I’ve heard all sorts of people are running wild?”
“…So?”
“Starting from serial killers to bombers, supernatural criminals… illegal body modification psycho stalkers, and so on… I’ve heard rumors on the community boards that those who were hiding in Seoul are slowly crawling out and roaming the streets. I looked it up separately, and… there’s even a bounty on their heads, you know?”
Lily stared at me intently.
I smiled awkwardly.
“While my artisan activities are on hold, I’m thinking of living off that bounty… What do you think?”
“What is your main objective?”
“To check the usability of my custom equipment, as well as to verify the control of supernatural abilities and identify higher improvement points… or something like that…”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I know it’s dangerous, but…”
Ah!
Curiosity is a blade that kills!
“If we’re together, it won’t be that dangerous. Besides, if they’re trash who kill people anyway, wouldn’t it be okay if I killed them instead?”
“…Haven’t your morals gotten a bit loose lately?”
Loose morals, huh.
Maybe so. But you see, if you’re an artisan, you naturally want to check the things you’ve made.
And my orb, after all, is something I made for myself.
If I wanted to see the use of that item, I had no choice but to move.
Moreover…
To be honest, I wanted to clean up the streets a bit.
Seol Yewon has been visiting more frequently these days. Moreover, relying on just a mask to come, it seemed like the number of people enchanted by her beauty had also increased.
It’s fine if she gets hit on. I don’t particularly want to interfere with her love life.
But I didn’t want the girl visiting my house to get caught up in some random crime.
“Putting moral principles aside, I want to clean up these streets to some extent. If Lily goes out for a walk alone and gets stabbed for no reason, I think I’ll regret not doing anything.”
“…….”
“Recently, the public safety has really deteriorated, hasn’t it? Since Hundred Eye doesn’t have the capacity to manage public safety, all sorts of riffraff are pouring in, creating an absurd lawless zone…”
I stood up.
“Before things get worse, I think we need to play vigilante to some extent. For my own sake. Renata is an ordinary person, after all. We can’t let the person we hired get into an accident while coming here. This is the street I live on, so I want to participate in managing it to some extent.”
“…I understand what you’re saying.”
Lily sighed and nodded.
“I’ll join you as well. However, I don’t have any knowledge about this kind of thing… How about asking someone else for help?”
“What?”
“Hitmen are usually closely tied to bounty hunting. It’s a common side job for hitmen. And don’t we know a hitman?”
“Ah.”
I nodded at her words.
A woman who comes to the workshop every month to buy magazines.
It was about time for her to come.
Let’s take this opportunity to ask. How does one hunt villains?